Paul Keck and Julia Rochlin
We are excited to share the StoryMap Toolkit, a resource we have developed for exploring and visualising multiple, and sometimes contradictory, perspectives within sample data sets. Maps, diagrams, and visualisations serve not only as artefacts but also as processes. They are tools that tell a story and create ways to bring people and things together in that storytelling. Rather than performing a ‘god trick,’ diagrams should come from a conscious position (Dávila, 2019).
StoryMaps is a continuously evolving, crowd-sourced set of cards designed for anyone working to unpack, disrupt, and expand existing representations and concepts. This toolkit reveals and visualises new and challenging stories and realities. Adopting new perspectives and visual strategies is crucial to broadening our understanding of the representation at hand and diagramming systems more thoughtfully and intentionally.
During this session, we will demonstrate StoryMaps through a hands-on narrative diagramming exercise using pre-selected data sets. The toolkit consists of six sections, each designed to be used independently or together, in no particular order. However, there are some baseline heuristics for using the toolkit:
- Don’t aim for comprehensiveness. Perfect is the enemy of good.
- Align early on the framing you want to focus on. Everything else will follow from this decision.
- Aim for visual storytelling outputs. Don’t worry about artistry—boxes, circles, and lines can effectively tell a story.
We look forward to receiving continuous feedback on the open-source StoryMaps Toolkit and learning about how it might be used in various contexts. Our goal is to expand the list of Toolkit use cases to enhance its content, format, and methodology, improving its usability, effectiveness, and impact on systems-oriented visualisation work and discussion.
StoryMaps Toolkit sections
Perspectives
What perspectives need to be represented to communicate the critical narrative? This includes various people (clients, colleagues, competitors, customers, stakeholders, ecosystem actors, etc.), the multiple facets with which those people identify (title, organisational role, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, etc.), and the factors shaping their needs, beliefs, and opinions (sustainability, technological access, influence, business constraints, etc.).
Examples: Customers, Competitors, Women, Children, Persons with Disabilities, LGBTQ+, Persons of Colour, Indigenous, Non-Western vs. Western, Non-Human, Owners/Employees, Team Members, Sustainability, Mythical/Imaginary/Impossible, Constraints (Feasibility, Viability, Desirability), Technological Accessibility
Language & Tone
What language and tone will clearly convey information and frame the story appropriately? Choose language (formal, informal, corporate jargon, etc.) that reflects how the subjects speak while also effectively communicating with the audience. Additionally, consider how tone provides the “packaging” for what is being communicated through cues and signals (emotion, humour, degree of abstraction, quotes, statistics, etc.).
Examples: Subjective/Emotional, Objective/Factual, Quantitative vs. Qualitative, Metaphor & Analogy, Humour/Satire, Abstract, Concrete, Comics & Zines, Dialects (Local Language/Slang/Jargon), Competitor Language, User Quotes, Trauma-Informed Language
Elements
What are the key components of the story being told? Identify what is most important—experiences, environments, actors, and objects to highlight. Consider what external factors (norms, rituals, power dynamics, etc.) should be represented.
Examples: Activities, Experiences, Interactions, Objects & Artifacts, Environments (Natural, Man-Made), Actors, Events & Moments in Time, Rituals & Traditions, Wealth Distribution, Regulatory Pressures, Political Influence
Relationships
What interactions between stakeholders, actors, consumers, and other entities need to be described? Explore what resources, information, or other types of value are created or exchanged between these groups. Consider which dynamics best describe how they interact and affect each other.
Examples: Distributed vs. Decentralised vs. Centralised, Intersecting vs. Connected vs. Disconnected, Power Distribution, Autonomous vs. Dependent vs. Interdependent, Origin vs. Current Position (over time, through space), Historical Relationships, Social Hierarchy & Authority, Tribal Affinities, Legal
Visual Techniques
What visual techniques structure and communicate the critical perspectives, language, relationships, and elements in the narrative? Not every technique must be used; select what communicates efficiently and clearly.
Examples: Scale, Orientation, Colour-Coding, Hierarchy, Cultural/Representative Artefacts, Aerial vs. Ground Orientation, Time-Based, Non-Linearity, Proximity
Deliverable Examples
What deliverables or formats will most effectively communicate the story? Consider factors such as channels (digital, print, in-person, remote, etc.), how much of the story must be embedded in the document itself vs. requires voiceover, and what needs to be prioritised. Refer to decisions made regarding Perspectives, Language, Relationships, and Elements to guide this choice.
Examples: Micro-Meso-Macro Framework, Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) Diagram, Power Dynamics Map, Stakeholder Map, Value Map, Journey/Experience Map, Timeline/Time-Based Diagrams, Positioning Maps (2×2, X-Y), Service Blueprint, Collage/Image/Illustration
Organisers
Julia Rochlin (she/her) is a researcher and strategic designer originally from Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). After graduating from the IIT Institute of Design (MDes 2020) in Chicago, she joined Conifer Research as a Senior Design Researcher. Her primary areas of expertise lie in ethnographic methods, systems thinking, design research, theory, and practice. With a strong commitment to pushing the boundaries of conventional thinking within organisations, Julia aims to enhance the well-being of individuals affected by their interventions through innovative approaches.
Paul Keck (he/him) is a design researcher and strategist with a MDes from the IIT Institute of Design (MDes 2013). By leveraging human-centred methodology, with an emphasis on designing for both short and long-term behaviour change, he seeks to enable more effective collaboration and communication between all stakeholders, be they consumers or corporations.